1. GURPS 3rd or 4th - very broad range of customized characters, realistic combat system, low magic(but tons of options), one rule set for any genre
2. D&D 1E - Very simple, straight forward, and portrays the standard classes in ways that make sense to me (only downfall is skill system)
3. D&D 3E/4E - about equal based on strength and weaknesses of both
However, I play the systems in reverse, based on having software utilities available (that I like) to manage it all, and having my fellow players DM once in a while so I don't get burned out.
Eh, I don't have a favourite system; every game I love has enough clanky mechaniks or junk assumptions thrown in there that make it a turn-off for most people I could possibly play it with. Some Honourable Mentions though:
BESM 3E - Great point system without the seeming prerequisite of calculus-level action resolution. The game is deader than dead though.
Shadowrun 2E - Haven't played newer editions, but Shadowrun was a great 'console' style point system that didn't take a new player five hundred thousand hours to create a complex character. Good thing too, combat was seriously deadly though easy to run and play. I haven't seen another setting that oozed as much unique style either.
AD&D 2E - I hated nearly every mechanic in this entire game, but for some odd reason it was incredibly fun.
D&D 3E - same as 2E with some more polishing. Everything seems to take longer though, more look-ups, more things to know.
Pathfinder - It's like some clockwork orchestra restored and retuned and polished all nice and shiny; it's fun to watch it work and it can make some beautiful music, but...I'm just gonna shut my mouth and don't bother asking.
Old World of Darkness - haven't played the new editions. Lot's of flavour, mechanics don't pull out a shotgun and tell new players to get off its property. You mix it together and it can be a beautiful thing...or a terrible thing. Great thing is both Poette Koffeehaus and Killy MacKillacaster have things they can both tune into around the same table. Dice pools though...geh.
Wow no love for Deadlands
My faves
D&D(1st through 3.5)/Pathfinder
Dead Lands (Nothing like a senile undead gunslinging cowboy)
WOD (somthing about vampires and werewolfes that are just so damn attractive)
BESM (Most versatile character creation system I've ever played)
Palladium (nothing really much to say about it, it was my first and the most memorable for me)
Ooooo honorable mentions huh?
Paranoia- Just cause...wayyyy too much laughing in those games.
Pathfinder- Love the world and still love 3e design, plus the abundence of WAR art is always nice too. Ran Rise of the Runelords for my friends and I have to say the AP's for Pathfinder/Paizo are freakin awesome. Wizards should take notes.
Changeling- My favorite of the WOD games.
DC Heroes- I loved that system but me and my friends would go waaaaay overboard with the disadvantage mechanics...sigh...the good ole days.
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Faves:
Pathfinder- do not currently have a campaign totally using this system, but we've begun incorporating elements into our 3.5ed game
World of Darkness- Vampire/Werewolf/Mages/Mummies/Demons oh my! Monte's d20 version of the updated WoD is also a blast to play.
Big Eyes, Small Mouth- highly customizable character creation, highly memorable games
d6 Star Wars- been recently reacquainted with this one; used to play it back in the day, very fun and cinematic, personally see it better than the d20 version
Palladium- Rifts and Nightbane in particular, though have had fun with Heroes and would love to give Dead Reign a go sometime soon
Laughter means happiness. Happiness is mandatory. You might yet survive...Ooooo honorable mentions huh?
Paranoia- Just cause...wayyyy too much laughing in those games.
Only by the good graces of the computer...whatever I cannot boot-lick, betray, or con my way thru, I will blast. Many times. Maybe too many times...or die many times trying...over...and over...and over...
It's on like Donkey Kong, whatcha got?
* Alien Wars
* Capone Era
* Cold War Espionage
* Dimension/Time Hopping
* Fantasy
* French Musketeers
* Modern Espionage
* Pirates of the Caribbean
* Russian Revolution
* Serenity
* Supers
* The Terran Empire
* Traveler (setting, not system)
Pathfinder (of course)
Castle Falkenstein (The ultimate system tailored for a setting, period. Oh, and it's the best fun I've ever had)
GURPS (you'll never have so much fun playing a brain in a jar)
Call of Cthulhu (Genius)
Dragon Warriors (tremendous atmosphere from a basic D&D knock off in Corgi Paperback form)
Chill 2E. (Never got a decent shake, but a solid, fun game)
WHFRP (Where else could you luck out as a Rat-catcher as an opening profession)
MERP/Rolemaster (Ahh, crunchy fun and the best Critical/fumble tables)
Only by the good graces of the computer...whatever I cannot boot-lick, betray, or con my way thru, I will blast. Many times. Maybe too many times...or die many times trying...over...and over...and over...
And a hope that someone pops open the can. I have to put in a vote for Paranoia.
*extends a booted foot* Very well then, Citizen.
Only by the good graces of the computer...whatever I cannot boot-lick, betray, or con my way thru, I will blast. Many times. Maybe too many times...or die many times trying...over...and over...and over...
Crap...blew my bluff roll...
Rolemaster 2 Ed.
Champions - Hero system
Gurps
Amber Diceless RPG
I knew I liked you for some reason other than your debating skills.
Mine are in the following order for rules:
1 Champions 4th ed
2 Rolemaster 2nd ed
3 GURPS 4th ed
4 D&D 3.5 (& PFRPG) ... not crazy about the rules, love the support.
5 Paranoia
For fluff (& don't be fooled by my putting fluff AFTER rules):
1 PFRPG
2 CoC
2 Star Wars
I can't really put them in any particular order, and I'm not even sure it will fit in a top 3 or top 5 format, but here goes:
D&D/AD&D - All versions except 4th (Classic D&D, 1st Edition AD&D, 2nd Ed, 3rd ed, 3.5, and Pathfinder). 4th edition isn't a bad game, but personally I'm not into what seemed to me like balance that removed any uniqueness in characters, the powers per day/encounter/at will thing ruined the magic system for me, and the multi-classing format is wonky in my opinion. As I said, good game, not for me. And I know a lot of people don't neccessarily agree, but Pathfinder is D&D to me, just cleaned up and made even more fun.
D6 Star Wars - Best version of a Star Wars RPG period. I didn't like any of the d20 Star Wars games until Saga Edition came out. Saga Edition is good, and fixes almost everything I thought was wrong with the other d20 Star Wars games, but it just isn't the same. Oh, and it seems weird to me that Luke, who was probably 7th or 8th level by the Battle of Endor, and MAYBE as high as 11th or 12th, would have been able to last more then a few rounds against Darth Vader (a 19th level character, only 1 level of that not being a force using class). In fact, I'll check my Saga books just to double check the levels they actually assigned.
GURPS - I've played 2nd and 3rd editions, which I love, and I'm liking what I see for 4th edition even more. I really like mixing Supers and Martial Arts together, or Fantasy and Martial Arts (if you can't tell, I really like GURPS' take on martial arts). I think my favorite part is the modularity of the sourcebooks. You don't need every other sourcebook published before a particular book just to be able to use that book.
Palladium/Rifts - Great settings, kinda wonky system, but in my opinion that's what made it fun. I liked the deadliness of combat in Fantasy (though maybe that was my GM at the time), but the whole MDC thing in Rifts was too much. I liked Ninjas & Superspies, and TMNT as well, but most of the other seperate games (Beyond the Supernatural, etc.) never really worked for me (I'm looking into Nightbane right now though, and it seems interesting).
Shadowrun - Love love LOVE the setting and flavor. The system is decent, and perfectly reflects the flavor.
Old World of Darkness - Vampire was okay. Too many people playing out tired gothic vampire tropes though. Mage's paradox system was just confusing. I've had my friend try to explain it a few times, and the intricacies still fail me (then again, that's probably because I only played 1st edition Mage). My favorite was definitely Werewolf. I told my friend that the other day, and he just went "Well, DUH. You're a gaia warrior in real life, of course you're gonna like those furry hippies!" (though really, I just like the fact that werewolves get to tear s~~@ apart).
Star Wars Basic - An old homebrew rules set that my old best friend and I made. Character sheets and ships all fit on 3"x5" cards. Character action resolution used a d6, the Force used a d8, and ships used a d12. I've thought of re-writing it (the rules wouldn't be exactly the same, that was 12 years ago). It was simple, and we didn't realize it when we were first creating it, but that simplicity allowed it to do ANYTHING. Seriously, with just 5 stats (8 if you were a Jedi), you could make ANY Star Wars character you could think of (though we never came up with a martial arts system for Teras-Kasi).
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For game *systems,*
1) Pathfinder / 3.0 / 3.5 - which I don't really consider different enough to warrant multiple categories.
2) GURPS 3rd edition. I've played every version back to Man to Man and The Fantasy Trip (with people who wrote for it, no less), and 4th edition as well, and I find 3rd edition the best for doing just about anything.
3) Mutants & Masterminds 2E. Wow. Way overly simple, in some ways, and very 'swingy,' but that simplicity is a boon here. (Although I sometimes wonder what the game would look like replacing the d20 rolls with 3d6 or 3d10 rolls, to put in a curve and eliminate the swing...)
Games that I loved *despite* their systems;
Trinity / Aeon
Aberrant
Adventure!
Ars Magica
Paranoia
Villains & Vigilantes
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2E (Al-Qadim! Kara-Tur!)
Vampire: the Masquerade
Mage: the Ascencion
Wraith: the Oblivion
Vampire: the Dark Ages
Kindred of the East
Anybody here tried Gumshoe? Does it come separately, or is the system simple enough to be reproduced in the adventures?
What's the difference between CoC/BRP and CoC/Genius? I'm cornfused.
1)Mutants and Masterminds 2e edition
2)Dark Heresy
3)Warhammer Fantasy 2nd edition
4)Star Wars SAGA
5)DnD 4edition